Page 31 - Social Media

Chinese TikTok sellers complain of strict rules on selling in US mkt

TikTok, used by about 170 mn Americans, has been seeking to strike the right balance between pursuing rapid growth and managing regulatory risks

Trump's media co valued at nearly $9.6 bn as shares surge in trade debut

At $70.46, company's market capitalization was $9.55 billion on an undiluted basis. Trading in the shares under the new ticker "DJT" was briefly halted just after the opening bell due to volatility

Florida's DeSantis signs US' most restrictive social media bans for minors

Florida will have one of the US' most restrictive social media bans for minors -- if it withstands expected legal challenges -- under a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended. The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner's top legislative priority. It takes effect January 1. "A child in their brain development doesn't have the ability to know that they're being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them," Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school. The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the ve

Trump's social media company to go public, likely listing on Nasdaq

Donald Trump is returning to the stock market, and the former president stands to reap a sizeable payout in the process. Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp, a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with the Trump's media business in a Friday vote. That means Trump Media & Technology Group, whose flagship product is social networking site Truth Social, will soon begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market. Trump is set to own most of the combined company or nearly 79 million shares. Multiply that by Digital World's closing stock price Friday of USD 36.94, and the total value of his stake could be nearly USD 3 billion. The greenlight arrives at a time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is facing his most costly legal battle to date: a USD 454 million judgment in a fraud lawsuit. But Trump won't be able to cash out the deal's windfall immediately, unless the company's board makes changes to a lock-up provision that prevents company insiders ...

Investors greenlight Donald Trump's $6 billion social media merger deal

Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) , the SPAC that plans to list Trump Media & Technology Group on the stock market through a merger, voted in favor of the deal on Friday

FIR against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for alleged hate post on social media

An FIR has been registered against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over an alleged hate post on social media, Election Commission officials said on Friday. The move comes after a complaint filed by officials of the poll body and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that the Bengaluru South MP, who is also the President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, had in a post allegedly targeted a minority and spread enmity between two communities. He also made a similar post on March 19 on 'X' and YouTube which got one million views, 587 comments, 5400 retweets and 13 likes. He has 1.3 million followers on X, thereby influencing the voters and disturbing the communal harmony between the communities, it further alleged. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Halasuru Gate police station on March 20 under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295

Govt cautions influencers against promoting offshore betting platforms

Government on Thursday cautioned all endorsers and social media influencers to refrain from promoting or advertising, including surrogate advertisements, of offshore online betting and gambling platforms. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in an advisory, said that these advertisements have significant financial and socio-economic implications of online betting and gambling on consumers, particularly the youth. The ministry has further advised the online advertisement intermediaries not to target such promotional content towards Indian audiences, an official statement said. Social media intermediaries have also been advised to conduct sensitisation efforts among their users to refrain from publishing such content, it said. The advisory cautions that failure to comply with it may lead to proceedings under the provisions of Consumer Protection Act, 2019 including removal or disabling of social media posts or accounts and penal action under the applicable statutes, the ...

WhatsApp tests 60-second video status feature in public beta: Details here

Currently, WhatsApp lets users post 30-second video status on their profiles. Instagram, however, allows users to post 60-second videos on stories

Centre notifies fact check unit under IT rules ahead of general elections

The notification came a week after the Bombay High Court refused to grant an interim stay on setting up an FCU under the IT Rules to identify fake and false content on social media

Zomato axes colour-coded veg fleet day after launch amid row: Explained

Zomato had earlier announced an exclusive "pure veg mode" and "pure veg fleet" for its vegetarian customers but scrapped the colour-based fleet plan after a social media backlash

Meta offers to almost halve Facebook, Instagram monthly fees to 5.99 euros

The move came amid mounting criticism from users about Meta's no-ads subscription service launched in Europe in November which critics say requires users to pay a fee to ensure their privacy

From apps to influencers, EC working to increase participation in K'taka

Encouraging the public to use various apps to putting QR codes on voter slips to locate polling booths, the Election Commission is coming out with several initiatives to increase turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka leveraging technology, EC officials said on Tuesday. Voter Helpline, 'Know Your Candidate' and updating details about number of voters in queue and kind of parking facilities available at polling booths and an elaborate booth election management plan are among the other measures being taken. The EC is also collaborating with social media influencers to encourage people to cast their ballot. Celebrities like head coach of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, Jnanpith awardee Dr Chandrashekhara Kambar and Paralympian Girish Gowda are the State election icons. The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for its 28 constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena told PTI that out of the 58,834 polling booths,

Post to the past: Instagram tests in beta backdated post scheduling feature

Currently available to select users, the post to the past feature on Instagram is accompanied by a calendar icon that suggests scheduling option for backdated posts

Influencer show: How important are social media personalities in elections?

The evolving relation between social media personalities and the political landscape continues to intrigue and challenge the norms of electoral engagement, Aditi Phadnis explains

LS polls: Social media influencers emerge as go-to campaign mediums

As the country gears up for the world's biggest electoral exercise, messaging platforms like WhatsApp and social media influencers have emerged as the go to mediums for political parties to influence voter psychology, ad gurus and political analysts say. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, political parties are extensively using social media to propagate their achievements and seek support from voters. How Parties Are Wooing Voters? The BJP is trying to engage with the voters by sending them a personalised 'Letter from the Prime Minister' on WhatsApp which has over 500 million active users monthly in India highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and seeking feedback from voters. The party launched the website 'My First Vote For Modi,' which allows visitors to pledge to vote for Modi and submit a video stating the reason behind their choice. The website also hosts several short videos highlighting the development work done under the NDA government.

US Senator asks social media firms about preparations for polls in India

An influential American Senator on Friday asked the US social media companies as to what preparations they have made for elections in India, where social media platforms, including Meta-owned WhatsApp, have a long track record of amplifying misleading and false content. The letter, written by Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence and Rules Committees, which has oversight over US elections, comes on the eve of the announcement of elections in India by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The letter by Bennet to the leaders of Alphabet, Meta, TikTok, and X is addressed to seeking information from these companies about their preparations for elections in various countries, including India. The dangers your platforms pose to elections are not new users deployed deepfakes and digitally altered content in previous contests but now, artificial intelligence (AI) models are poised to exacerbate risks to both the democratic process and political stability. The ...

US TikTok creators warn of economic hit if app banned, call it vital space

Alex Pearlman shut the door on dreams of a standup comedy career almost a decade ago, pivoting from the stage to an office cubicle where he worked a customer service job. Then he started posting random jokes and commentary about pop culture and politics on TikTok. Just over 2.5 million followers later, he quit his nine-to-five and recently booked his first nationwide tour. Pearlman is among the many TikTok creators across the U.S. outraged over a bipartisan bill passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell its stake. The bill still needs to go through the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. Content creators say a ban would hurt countless people and businesses that rely on TikTok for a significant portion of their income, while also arguing TikTok has become an unrivaled platform for dialogue and community. Pearlman, who lives outside Philadelphia, said TikTok h

Social media is the top source for casual gamers' video game discovery

Over 90 per cent of casual gamers said they typically find gaming content on at least one Meta platform

Over 40% of real-money gamers in India from non-metro regions, says Meta

Highlighting the growing popularity of gaming in India, a study by social media firm Meta said nearly half of casual gamers and 43 per cent of real-money gamers come from non-metro geographies. A study by Meta GWI showed that more than three of four casual and real-money gamers in the country discover new games to play and purchase on social media, and more than 90 per cent of these do so on Meta platforms. "Gaming is a top three vertical for Meta globally and we are particularly seeing our Advantage+ suite of automated ads drive growth for gaming brands," said Arun Srinivas, Director and Head (India), Ads Business, Meta. Srinivas added that gaming is poised to play a leading role in India's techade. The study revealed that 6 in 10 smartphone gamers game daily, and almost 90 per cent of real-money gamers take part in such activities at least weekly. "Nearly half of casual gamers and 43 per cent of real-money gamers come from non-metro geographies," it said. The study observed tha

Mumbai baker makes blue-colour Spider-Man biryani, watch viral video here

Mumbai-based baker prepared a blue-colour 'Spider-Man' biryani. The video has gone viral but the internet users are not happy